Justice doled out differently in Butler Co. courts

Judge's practice of sealing records doesn't sit too well

8:51 AM,
Feb. 21, 2013

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The weekly cattle call at Butler County Area III Court swells with a mixed bag of people charged with minor crimes and traffic violations.

They spend hours waiting for their cases to be called. Many plead guilty, get probation and make a stop at the clerk's window to pay their fines. Most go on their way with a criminal record that anyone can see.

This is not Butler County Area I Court in Oxford, a college town 24 miles away where a different judge says he routinely seals misdemeanor criminal convictions for students at Miami University in a move that keeps their names and the details of their crimes ...